The First Annual Hunger Games
by rnburchett
Summary: The first ever Hunger Games will set a premise for all the others. In the point of view of the winning tribute.
1. The Reaping

One year ago was the failed rebellion. When District 13 was destroyed. The Capitol likes to call it the Dark Days because it was the time where everyone was against them. With good reason, too. My parents say that the time before the Dark Days was prosperous. Every district traded with one another. People had full bellies and didn't worry about starvation. The Capitol tried to intervene and that didn't go over so well.

The rebellion lasted five years. I wanted to be a part of it, but friends and family said no. If the rebellion failed, which it did, they didn't want me to be one of the ones executed. I lost several of my friends to the rebellion because of the Capitol.

When it was over and District 13 was destroyed, Capitol officers, Peacekeepers, were placed on every corner of our district. My brother and sister got used to their presence almost immediately. I didn't. To me they were always there. When I went to school, when I helped with the fishing, and when I went home, they were there, watching my every move. Some tried to fight back, but they were shot publicly so that everyone could get the message: no one fights against the Capitol and lives to tell the tale.

Then suddenly, they disappeared. People whispered rumors that something big was going to happen. I could feel it as well.

The television broadcast came the week the officers left. There was to be this thing called the Hunger Games. Each of the twelve remaining districts will send two tributes, a boy and a girl, to fight to the death on national television. If we made the decision to rebel, then they have the decision to make us pay for it. The winner, called the Victor, is wealthy for the rest of their life and the winning district is showered with gifts for a year.

Today is the day of the first reaping. My district will have to send our first tributes. The only one in my family that is eligible is me, since my brother is nine and my sister is five. My name is entered only four times since I'm fifteen and my family doesn't need any tesserae, grain and oil, since we're one of the more affluent families in District 4. District 4 is pretty affluent itself, but there are still poor people. We call them Fishmeat behind their backs.

I walk out onto the empty fishing docks in my bare feet, trident in hand. Dad has told me not to walk barefoot, I'll get splinters in my feet from the wood, but I don't care. I love the feel of the wood under my feet almost as much as I love the water.

Like everyone here, I'm a true watergirl. I was raised near the ocean and take easily to the water. I can hold my breath for long periods of time and I know the poisonous fish from the nonpoisonous.

You would think that since the fishing district has a lot of fish, we eat fish right? Well, that's almost not true. We do eat some of our fish, but most of it goes to the Capitol. During the rebellion, we would purposefully send them poisonous fish just to watch them die.

Our Peacekeepers watch us fish so that we don't screw up. If we do, _we_ die.

Thankfully, my family doesn't fish that often. We have a clothing store that sells regular clothes as well as fishing gear that does pretty well, but we can't wear the clothes we sell unless they get damaged enough so that they can't be sold anymore. That happens rarely.

I sit down on the edge of the dock and dangle my toes in the water. They break the surface. The water feels cool on my feet. I trace patterns in the water. I write my name: Ari. It's short for Ariella.

I sigh, wishing this could last forever. Just me and the water. One and the same.

Too soon, I hear my name being called. I look around and see my brother. "What?" I call out.

"Ari! It's time to come in!" He turns around and marches away from me in the direction towards our house. I sigh, get up, and follow him.

My family is nervously bustling about getting ready when I put my trident on its rack. Tension is so thick, it could almost choke you. Mom and Dad keep staring at me, drinking me in as if I will be the one who is leaving. My siblings hug me over and over until I tell them to stop. I'm close to crying, and I don't want my family to see the tears.

"Ariella, your father and I have something for you," Mom says. She holds up a brand new aqua-blue dress.

I wish I could say I was happy, but I'm not. Even though new clothes are the world to us, I felt depressed. If it takes my almost-reaping to get a new dress, then I am not asking for new clothes. I put the dress on anyway.

Mom steps up to me and puts in earrings. She whispers, "If you are chosen, then wear these as a token."

She holds up a mirror and I smile. They look like little fish.

With one last look at me, we all walk somberly to the Mayor's house, where a platform is set up. On the platform are two chairs. One has the mayor, one has a cheerful-looking woman. Surrounding them are different areas sectioned off for each age, 12 through 18. Everyone else who is not participating surrounds the entire stage area. I squeeze in with the 15-year-olds. We all glance at each other nervously and look up at the stage.

"Hello, welcome to the very first reaping! Isn't this very exciting!" the woman blubbers. "My name is Sadie Palmer, and I will choose the first tributes for District 4. Ladies first!"

She reaches into one of the clear balls she has on the platform. You could hear all of the girls inhale deeply, hoping and wishing it wasn't them. She pulls out a slip of paper and breathes in.

"Ariella Waughtel!"

Suddenly I can't breathe. Out of the corner of my eyes, I can see the cameras zooming around, trying to find the girl. I force myself to step forward. All eyes watch me go up as a collective sigh comes out the girls and their families. All but mine.

I step onto the platform and meet the beaming woman.

"Very good, very good!" she says. "Now for the boy tribute."

She goes over to the ball with the boys' names in it and chooses one. She comes back and reads it.

"David Mason!"

I know him. He's twelve years old and one of the best young fishers we've had. I have worked with him before, and he is one of the more serious people I've met.

I hear a person cry out in the audience. I look around in the audience and see his mother crying for all she's worth. Which, seeing their house, isn't much. His father died from a shark attack years ago and David dropped out of school so he could support his family. Even during the rebellion, he would go out to the ocean and fish just so they could make it to the next day.

The mayor says this speech about the history of Panem, which thankfully is short because Panem hasn't existed for very long. Supposedly, an apocalypse came and out of it came our country, under the jurisdiction of our Capitol. Because of the rebellion, the Hunger Games started and is now in its first year.

The mayor tells us to shake hands. We do so, staring at each other's faces. David's is stiff, his chin wobbling. He too is trying to hide tears. I have the feeling that our tears won't be the last shed in these Games.

_I honestly can't tell you how often I can update, but I'll try to as much as I can. All I can say for now is to please review! _


	2. First Appearance

_You guys make an author so happy! The next two days after I posted the first chapter, I must have gotten at least ten alerts. I was so speechless._

_I was going to upload yesterday, but my computer wouldn't let me sign in. Yeah, I hate it when that happens. More later; here is the next chapter._

The train whisks us away faster than we could blink. David immediately goes to his room, so I do, too. My room is even bigger than the one that I share with my sister. I change clothes with a pair I find in my dresser, which is next to my bed. The new clothes are gray and feel good against my rough skin.

I switch to battle plans. If they have a trident or even a spear, I can stand a chance. I shouldn't make any allies because what if they get hurt and I can't help them? Or if they turn against me? It's better not to, because treason means nothing in the arena.

I realize I am hungry, so I leave my room and try to find a meal area so I can eat. I ask one of the Capitol people and they point me in the right direction. With a thank you, I slip into the dinner cart.

David is already there, cheeks tear-stained. I didn't know what he was crying for. Crying to others is a sign of weakness, so they'll prey on him first.

I sit awkwardly in the booth in front of him and start pulling food towards me.

"Hey, fishmeat," I say. "How are you holding up?"

David looks like he's been slapped. His face turns angry and he hides his face over his plate.

"I didn't think you were one of those people," he mumbles.

"One of whom?"

He glances up. "One of those people who throw fish at me and calls me fishmeat or sharkbait or God knows what else."

Admittedly I had, but not at him. "I never did that!" I lie.

He regards me. "Then don't call me fishmeat like you don't care about me."

"I do care about you!" I say surprised

"Really? If I would die, would you cry for me?"

"Like I would one of my siblings."

He nods slowly like he agrees with me. I ask him, "Would _you_ cry for _me_?"

David smiles shyly. "Maybe a little. I really don't think you're that bad a person. Try the crab stew. It's good."

I knew I couldn't get any higher praise than that. I ruffle his red hair, and we both laugh.

Sadie walks in in a cloud of perfume. I cough, eyes watering.

"Hello children, talking about an alliance?" she questions cheerfully. I think her demeanor is very annoying. Couldn't she be a bit more somber? She is helping us to die.

Now that I think of it, I question back, "Who is going to mentor us?"

"I am!" Yep, we're going to die. Thanks sooo much, Sadie.

Sadie's smile freezes at our downcast expressions. "Now, now, I won't fail you! We're approaching the Capitol and you need to look your best."

"We need to fight our best, too," I point out.

"That won't matter until you get in the arena," she replies. "In order to get sponsors, you need to look and act your best. The others won't stand a chance."

What are they going to do, pretty us to death? It's such a joke. I look at David. His face is carefully blank, but his eyes are smiling. He gets it.

"So teach us to look our best," he says sarcastically. That's my little fishling.

"Not until we get into the Capitol," Sadie says like she has a big secret. "Speaking of which, look outside."

We both press up against the window. Brightly colored people watch as our train goes by, pointing and talking. I start to wave to some who are waving to us.

"Those are your sponsors out there," Sadie says behind us. "Impress them."

Several hours later, I am dressed in what I think is the most ridiculous outfit ever. You ever read one of those stories about mermaids? I'm one of them now. I am literally wearing a coconut bra and have a really tight-fitting skirt all the way down my legs. I can't walk; I waddle to get around. My long brown hair is cascading over my shoulder in soft curls with flower pins stuck in. My face is overly made with blue eyeshadow and red lipstick. Overall, I feel naked. My stylist Blitz assures me I look beautiful. I'll have to take her word on that.

On the other hand, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. According to this beholder, I look stupid.

David looks better that me. His stylist decided to make him look like a suave fisherman with a red shirt, tan vest, and beach shorts. His hair is slicked back away from his face with hair gel.

He blushes and looks away from me when he sees my costume. I don't blame him one bit: I would look away from me if I saw this.

We leave the Remake Center in our chariots. Despite my stupid costume, I feel ecstatic. We can do this. I don't feel like pond scum.

I watch the chariots before us. District 1 has a chariot that is bright red. The tributes look like shiny rubies. District 2 looks sharp and deadly. District 3 is a bunch of gears.

Someone announces District 4 and David and I start waving again to the people of the Capitol. Some laughter makes its way over the noise, but I shut it out and keep smiling and waving robotically.

Eventually we end up in City Circle, where the most famous people are. We stop in front of the president's mansion. President Spring, I remember. She gazes at us coldy then starts her welcome speech. I sure did not feel welcome. I watch the screen near her head. While she is talking, the cameras cut to each pair of tributes. When they stop on us, the camera looks us, but mostly me, up and down before switching to District 5. I feel uncomfortable again, but fortunately, President Spring is done with her speech.

The chariots pull into the Training Center and I breathe a sigh of relief. One trial down, a handful of others to go.

_I decided not to do the part where she says goodbye to her family just because. I feel bad about not writing as much about them, though._

_Writing back to reviews:_

_rusty1141- You're right; I read back and it did go fast. My plan is to write the rest and then go back and edit everything. It looks like crap now, but it will get better. That's a promise._

_IronFeyFreak- Okay, what the heck is a Mary Sue? I have been on Fanfiction for about a year, but I still don't understand that. Could you explain it to me?_

_Once again, please review! An author thrives on reviews!_


	3. Friends and Enemies

_On with the story! (Finally.) By the way, do I look like I own the awesomeness of The Hunger Games? I thought not._

* * *

I have been here for all of one night. It was the worst night ever.

Don't get me wrong; I love the nice custom-made room I have that looks like the sea. It's just that you can't sleep when you have a week left to live. You want to cherish the moments you have awake.

After a silent breakfast, training began.

I deftly tie knots with the rope from the knot-tying station while I look around at the other tributes. Districts One and Two are dominating the spear throwing station. As I look at them, the girl from Two kindly shows me what her middle finger looks like. I show off mine and look away.

On the other hand, District Twelve is at the camouflaging station and I don't know what they are doing, but they are not blending in so well. The girl is trying to blend into a field of flowers that the helpers set up, but she stands out even more than when she first started. The boy is just gazing at her.

The assistant at my station offers to show me some more complex knots. I consider turning my rope into a noose and hanging him, but I don't think it will fly in the Capitol. As it is, I just say no thank you and leave.

I just kind of wander after that from station to station. I find out firsthand that I'm no good at archery. I nearly shoot down the assistant there on five different occasions and after the fifth, she not-so-subtly pulls the bow from my hand and tells me to try something else. Feeling like I should do something I'm good at, I join One and Two at the spear station.

The assistant there is reluctant to let me handle a spear after the archery incident, but I manage to persuade her otherwise. She gives me five of them and warns me to be careful.

I take them and line up with the target. I can feel the eyes of the One and Two tributes on me. It's like an initiation. If I can hit the target and well, they'll accept me. If I don't, I'm dead. I pull my arm back and thrust forward, throwing it like I would a trident. It hits the target dead center. The rest of the spears soon follow until all five are clustered in the middle.

I smirk at them, pull the spears out, and leave the station. It did feel like an initiation, but that didn't mean I wanted to be with them. That goes for the District Two girl most of all. She really grates on me for some reason.

However, that doesn't stop them from inviting me to their table. The blonde-haired District One girl enthusiastically pats down the seat next to her. I notice David isn't sitting with them, but at a table a few feet away. I take the offered seat anyway.

"My name is Ruby!" The District One girl chirps in a light-hearted voice. My immediate first impression is that she reminds me of Sadie. Shallow, unaware. I remember the chariot that District One had the night before, and now I know who inspired it.

Ruby talks on. "This is my district partner, Pyrite." The sandy-haired person next to her, his mouth full of food, raises his hand and nods at me. I flick my fingers in an attempt of a wave. The dark-haired and –eyed District Two girl glares at me like she's a shark and I'm food. Ruby notices.

"Don't mind Kylaia," Ruby says. "She's a bitch sometimes but you'll come to love her."

Kylaia? A pretty name for someone so… so evil. She seriously gives me shivers down my spine.

It makes me freaked out that Ruby and Kylaia act like they've been friends forever instead of a few hours. Even more the fact that one is so nice and the other has a cold heart.

The District Two boy is last to be introduced. His name is Noel. Noel doesn't look so mean, just strong and well-muscled. If he were in my district, he'd be the kind I would consider for a partner. But since inter-district relationships are forbidden, I could always hope another time.

I ask them why David isn't sitting at our table. The other four give each other looks before Ruby replied, "He doesn't look like he'll last long, you know."

WHAT? I can barely keep myself from cussing them out. How dare they think that? They didn't watch David walk out to the sea every single day during the rebellion to make sure his family had enough to eat. He has skills that have been honed for over five years, and they say he's weak?

Ruby blinks in surprise. She didn't expect me to react so strongly. "Fine," she says after recovering, "go run around with that scrap of meat you call a human being. We'll be sure to target you first."

She's baiting me. If I stay, she'll say that I think I'm too good for my partner. If I leave, she'll carry out her threat and make sure I die first. I decide to handle this as diplomatically as possible.

"David is stronger than you think," I say. "He handles tridents so often they're like an extra long extension of his arm to him. What would you think if you let someone as deadly as him go?"

"Look you little bitch," Kylaia snaps, "we're not accepting him and that's final. He doesn't look like he'll be of any use to us, and besides, he's an easy target. He's already dead to us."

I raise my eyebrows and speak coolly. "What made you speak?"

"You!" she blazes. "You with your whole 'protect the small and weak' bullshit that you try to shove down our throats. We don't care, okay?"

She would have yelled at me some more, I believe, but Noel wraps his arm around her and she instantly shuts up. There's obviously a relationship going on between them and Kylaia's blush confirms it. When she sees my grin, she says, "Shut up." Maybe she doesn't have a cold heart.

Ruby clears her throat. "She's right, though. He's already been talked about as first picks and not just by us. If we accept him, we look bad. If you disagree with us, you leave and get targeted by everybody."

She makes sense. Once again, I'm blown away by how unshallow she actually is. I really have to stop underestimating people; it would be my fatal mistake. Speaking of which, I have every intention of making it out alive, so it would be best if I didn't anger my only allies.

"Fine," I say. "I'll stop nagging about David."

Ruby picks up her empty plate and stands. "So long as we're clear on that."

* * *

On our third practice day, they announce the private sessions. We get fifteen glorious minutes to wow the Gamemakers, the people who make the lovely arena in which our place of death will be. They will give us scores of one to twelve, one being abysmal and twelve being OH MY GOD WE WILL PUT YOU ON A PEDESTAL AND WORSHIP YOU FOR THE REST OF OUR PATHETIC EXCUSES OF LIVES! But seriously, a perfect twelve will be very hard to obtain.

I watch as Pyrite, Ruby, Noel and Kylaia as well as District Three step up. When David leaves, we grasp hands quickly.

On cue, fifteen minutes later, I am called. I take a last look around the tributes' room before I walk into the session room. The Gamemakers are sitting around a long table that has food on it. Some are engrossed in the food, but most are watching me.

"Ariella Waughtel," I say before I turn towards the spears. I pick up as many as I can carry and take them towards the dummies. I spear them through their stomachs from all angles and when I was done with that, I picked up a sword nearby and started fencing with them. One dummy has an arm missing. Another's head thuds to the ground. I only found out the day before just how good I am with a sword.

Suddenly, one tells me I can leave. I bow to them and leave the door opposite the one I entered. You know, the one with the huge exit sign. Well, _I_ thought it was obvious.

I head back up to the District Four floor, where David and Sadie were waiting for me. Sadie pounces on me. "How did you do?"

I turn to David. "You tell me first."

"I didn't do much of anything. I threw a spear and then sat on the ground until they told me to leave," he says.

I have a panic attack. Why did he do something so stupid? Now they'll give him a mediocre score and Ruby will tell me she was right, David was nothing.

"Please tell me you actually didn't do anything like that," Sadie begs me.

I tear my eyes off of him long enough to tell her, "I threw spears and had swordfights with the dummies."

Sadie deflates. "Well that's good. At least you had your priorities straight." She marches off, leaving David and me alone. I turn to him.

"Why did you just sit there?" I ask.

"I didn't want them to see what I was good at," he says, shrugging. "I'd rather surprise them in the arena."

"Well," I say, "Let's go wait for our scores."

They don't come until the evening after dinner. Sadie, David, and I crowd around the TV and watch. Districts One and Two all come up with 8, 9, or 10. District Three gets a 6 each. David, not surprisingly, gets a 3. I want to laugh because it seems like such a joke next to everyone else so far.

My name flashes. I clench my fists but release when I see the number. 10. Two sets of arms wrap around me. I'm grinning, the first time I ever did since I left home. Everyone else's scores seem so trivial now that I know mine, I have the feeling that maybe, just maybe, I'll see the end of the Hunger Games this year.

* * *

_One thing that I'm surprised no one has pointed out is that David Mason and Johanna Mason have the same last name. I had this thing going where one of David's brothers was going to be the grandfather of Johanna, but then I remembered that she is from 7, not 4. So that scrapped the amazing idea I had. I was thinking of changing his last name to something else but then I decided he would keep it. There just happens to be another Mason family._

_For another, I'm so so so so so SO sorry it took so long to write another chapter. With the school and the life and all that, this was just sitting there. I promise though that I will see this through no matter how much I might procrastinate. But school is OVER for this year and I have three months until I go back and I plan to spend it writing, so this may be finished sometime this summer. Just saying._

_That review button needs some love. I would like to hear what you readers out there have to say!_


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